Apple, as well as Sprint, confirmed to Wired magazine that the pre-orders will start just after midnight, with phones slated to arrive Sept. 21. Verizon has said it will get a jump by offering pre-orders at midnight precisely. AT&T hasn't confirmed yet when it will allow pre-orders, though like Verizon, encourages visitors to its website to leave their email address to be notified. Sprint, which lists iPhones separate from other smartphones on its website, is not offering a pre-order alert system yet.

Bob Brown is a news editor for Network World, blogs about network research, and works most closely with our staff's wireless/mobile reporters. Follow him on Twitter at Alphadoggs and connect via email at bbrown@nww.com